Aug052008
Wilderness deluxe in Maine
Filed under Uncategorized by andrew wolfe at 4:13 pm
I like camping and I don’t mind roughing it, but it’s hard to argue against the benefits of beds, a screened porch, hot meals, warm showers, and cold beer.
My family enjoyed all those comforts in the midst of the Maine woods during our annual family summer getaway, generously sponsored by my parents.
We stayed at Medawisla, a camp operated by the Appalachian Mountain Club, about 25 minutes drive down dirt logging roads northeast of Kokadjo, Maine, which could just about pass for the middle of nowhere (“Population: Not Many,” the sign reads).
The camp is on the shores of Second Roach Pond, nestled into the Hundred Mile Wilderness region surrounding Mount Katahdin and the homestretch of the Appalachian Trail. A local fellow, Christopher Keene, wrote an excellent, self-published guidebook for hikes in the northern Maine woods. You can find it at Northwoods Outfitters in beautiful downtown Greenville, Maine, and at the store in Kokadjo. I won’t say which store, but don’t worry; you can’t miss it.
Here’s our cabin:
Ev and I saw our first bald eagles (male and juvenile) in flight and perched along the shores of Second Roach Pond. Ma eagle apparently was off visiting at the time. After paddling for an hour or more, we also found a cow moose grazing at the far end of the pond, and there were at least two pair of loons in residence on the lake. The pond’s water was clear, cool and so inviting that I chose swimming over a shower every day. One day I splurged and did both.
We found raspberries and blueberries in mouth-watering abundance while hiking a nearby peak, but the scenic highlight of the area was Gulf Hagas, a deep, roughly four-mile gorge through which spills the west branch of the Pleasant River. The full, eight-mile hike around the Gulf took us about six hours. It’s a moderately tough trail, but it’s also necessary to stop often to soak up views such as this:
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